Apple may produce some of the hottest gadgets in the technology world, but its Washington operation is anything but flashy — and that’s not likely to change after famed CEO Steve Jobs steps down.

Jobs, the visionary who remade Apple into the world’s dominant tech company and one of the country’s most valuable enterprises, resigned his post as CEO late Wednesday, announcing that Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will take over his duties.

Cook, a former IBM executive, tends to stay out of the spotlight in the business world. Tech insiders expect he will engage on Washington policy issues that matter to the company — such as patent reform and tax issues — but probably not in the near term.

“My interaction with him leads me to believe that this is an area where he has a certain level of comfort and may be personally inclined to spend some time here,” said Dean Garfield, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, of which Apple is a member.

Cook isn't a total stranger to the Washington scene. The Apple executive donated twice to Barack Obama in early 2008, according to FEC records. Jobs was also a donor: He last gave in 2006 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The outgoing CEO earlier this year also dined with the president in California, along with top tech execs from Google, Facebook and other leading companies.

Policymakers have looked at Apple as a model of innovation and a source of economic growth at a time when many other industries are hurting.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has heralded Apple, among others, for helping to change the way consumers communicate and live with the advent of the iPhone and the iPad. President Obama has an iPad, as do dozens of lawmakers.

Despite the influence of its products, Apple maintains a low profile in Washington. The company is not particularly outspoken on issues that competitors like Google and Microsoft publicly weigh in on.

“I don’t suspect there will be any change to that approach,” said Jonathan Spalter, chairman of the Mobile Future Coalition and a former White House official. “Apple’s approach has been to speak softly but carry a big stick, and it’s been an effective framework. It’s a company that’s taken the approach of, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

But Apple may have to keep a watchful eye to the east as touchy issues like privacy continue to bubble up. Earlier this year, lawmakers blasted the company over concern that iPhone and iPad software was silently tracking consumers’ location without their knowledge.

“I’m deeply disturbed by this report,” Inslee said in April. “This episode, and many others, illustrates the need for enhanced government oversight of data collection activities.”

Apple was questioned on the Hill twice on the matter, and Bud Tribble, vice president of software technology, testified at one hearing.

The company also has a lot at stake in competition issues being monitored by the FTC and Justice Department. Anytime a company dominates a field — as Apple does in the mobile phone market and wireless application market — it should expect to be watched closely, industry sources warn.

Apple has plenty of competition to keep an eye on. Google’s Android mobile operating system has taken some of Apple’s market share, and Google recently announced intentions to buy Motorola Mobility, a move some see as a deliberate effort to go head-to-head with Apple.

“How do you blame them for keeping their heads down and focusing on their successful products?” said Morgan Reed, executive director for The Association for Competitive Technology.

Even though Apple may not be as vocal as other companies on headline-grabbing topics, its D.C. operation has quietly grown over the past decade. Once a one-person shop, Apple now has seven employees in its Washington office and has hired a number of outside firms, including Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock and Franklin Square Group. In December, Apple hired Tim Powderly, former senior counsel to the House Energy & Commerce's technology subcommittee.

So far this year, it has spent just over $1.3 million to connect with federal regulators on privacy, patent reform and a slew of other hot tech topics, according to federal lobbying disclosures. That’s a boost from the $890,000 the company had spent this time last year.

But that’s still a far cry from the lobbying operations of rivals. Google and Microsoft, for example, each spent more in a single quarter this year than what Apple has spent so far this year.

Apple is one of the few major technology companies not to have a political action committee.

“Apple is actually very active in Washington,” Garfield said. “They do provide policy guidance on a broad range of things like patent reform and repatriation.”

Research and development and telecom issues are also on Apple’s radar, Garfield said.

Jobs’s resignation is not a complete surprise: He has struggled with his health for years, often appearing gaunt during his famous unveilings of new products. In 2004, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

His previous leave of absence “served as a great training experience for people’s perception of Apple” without Jobs, said Derek Kerton, chairman of the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley.

Kerton said he “fully expects” Apple to continue its aggressive patent strategy.

“Say what you will about Apple, love or hate it, but Jobs has been an incredible visionary for the industry, so it’s a loss from that standpoint.”

Eliza Krigman and Mike Zapler contributed to this report.
This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 5:31 a.m. on August 25, 2011.